{"id":2119538,"date":"2025-10-28T01:32:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T01:32:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2119538"},"modified":"2025-10-28T01:32:25","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T01:32:25","slug":"12-a-list-actors-who-got-their-start-in-horror-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/12-a-list-actors-who-got-their-start-in-horror-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"12 A-List Actors Who Got Their Start In Horror Movies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>12 A-List Actors Who Got Their Start In Horror Movies<\/p>\n<div id=\"__next\" data-reactroot=\"\">\n<div class=\"DestinationWrapper_buzzfeed__LdORv\">\n<div class=\"post_article__U0mpv post_default__QLsRf post_buzzfeed__G3TlM embed-post\">\n<div class=\"post_content__w3pdf\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"&#10;        buzz--list&#10;        buzz--Canada&#10;        subbuzzes-wrapper&#10;        subbuzzes--buzzfeed&#10;      \">\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-text&#10;  subbuzz-index-0&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-keywords=\"cleaning\" data-module=\"subbuzz-text\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Every celebrity has to start somewhere, and for some of them, that somewhere was <i>scary<\/i>. Long before they were strutting down the red carpet, these 12 stars were screaming, running, and fighting for their lives in <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/ravenishak\/best-horror-movies\">horror films<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-text&#10;  subbuzz-index-2&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-keywords=\"skincare\" data-module=\"subbuzz-text\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Whether they were the final girl hanging on by a thread, or a background character you can barely spot if you squint your eyes, these stars began with terrifying roles, and we just <i>have<\/i> to give them credit for their bravery. Here are 12 celebs who started their careers in horror films:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image&#10;  subbuzz-index-3&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">1.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Johnny Depp&#8217;s first-ever movie role had him literally devoured by a bed in <i>A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/i> (1984). Only four years later, he was charming audiences as Tom Hanson in <i>21 Jump Street<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image&#10;  subbuzz-index-4&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">2.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Before he was Doug Ross on <i>ER,<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/dpleis\/batman-movies-ranked-worst-to-best\"\/><\/i> George Clooney began his early acting career through a string of horror sequels. His first two movie roles were as Oliver in <i>Return to Horror High<\/i> (1987) and Matt Stevens in <i>Return of the Killer Tomatoes<\/i> (1988).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image&#10;  subbuzz-index-5&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">3.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Most people assume she got her start in <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/mychalthompson\/natasha-lyonne-james-woods-scary-movie-2\"><i>Scary Movie<\/i><\/a>, but <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/ryanschocket2\/times-chris-pratt-was-problematic\">Anna Faris<\/a> actually <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/heart-eyes-lovers-lane-1999-movie-perfect-watch-after-recommendation\/\" target=\"_blank\">began her movie career<\/a> in the 2000 indie horror <i>Lover&#8217;s Lane!<\/i> Only 5 months later, she catapulted to fame with the Wayans brothers&#8217; hit <i>Scary Movie<\/i> series.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image&#10;  subbuzz-index-6&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">4.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Clint Eastwood&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/clint-eastwood-revenge-of-the-creature\/#:~:text=Clint%20Eastwood's%20First%20Move%20Role,did%20say%20it%20was%20brief.\" target=\"_blank\">very first film role<\/a> was a lab assistant in the 1955 sci-fi horror <i>Revenge of the Creature<\/i>. Only 4 years later, he gained traction for his role as Rowdy Yates in <i>Rawhide.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image&#10;  subbuzz-index-7&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">5.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Before receiving Oscar acclaim for roles in films like <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/hannahmarder\/actors-who-played-characters-older-than-them\"><i>American Hustle<\/i><\/a> (2013) and <i>Doubt<\/i> (2008), Amy Adams appeared in <i>Psycho Beach Party<\/i> (2000), a campy horror-comedy about a surfing killer. About 5 years later, she made her breakthrough as Ashley in <i>Junebug!<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image&#10;  subbuzz-index-8&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">6.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Sam Rockwell&#8217;s made his film debut in the 1989 indie horror <i>Clownhouse<\/i> (1989), playing the oldest of three brothers terrorized by escaped institutionalized patients dressed up as clowns. It took him several years in the industry until his breakout role as Chuck Barris in <i>Confessions of a Dangerous Mind<\/i> (2002).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image&#10;  subbuzz-index-9&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">7.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Before his iconic strut to &#8220;Stayin&#8217; Alive,&#8221; John Travolta appeared <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/John-Travolta\" target=\"_blank\">as a cult follower<\/a> in the 1975 horror film <i>The Devil&#8217;s Rain<\/i>. Surprisingly enough, his second film role was yet another horror film, the iconic Stephen King hit; <i>Carrie<\/i> (1976).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image&#10;  subbuzz-index-10&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">8.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">At just 8 years old, Chlo\u00eb Grace Moretz made her second film appearance in the 2005 remake of <i>The Amityville Horror<\/i>. Five years later, she became a scene-stealer in the 2010 action-comedy; <i>Kick-Ass. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image&#10;  subbuzz-index-11&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">9.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Hilary Swank&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-movie-hilary-swank\/\" target=\"_blank\">first-ever movie role<\/a> was as Kimberly Hannah in the 1992 <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer<\/i> film. Just two years later, she would go on to lead in <i>The Next Karate Kid<\/i> (1994).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image&#10;  subbuzz-index-12&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">10.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Before Patrick Dempsey was McDreamy on <i>Grey&#8217;s Anatomy<\/i>, he had an uncredited role in the 1985 campy horror film <i>The Stuff<\/i>. Towards the end of the film, Dempsey can be seen as an &#8220;underground stuff buyer&#8221;!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image&#10;  subbuzz-index-13&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">11.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Before becoming Wanda Maximoff, Elizabeth Olsen starred in the psychological horror <i>Silent House<\/i> (2011). She became noticed very quickly as her role in <i>Martha Marcy May Marlene<\/i> from the same year brought her critical acclaim.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image&#10;  subbuzz-index-14&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-keywords=\"skincare\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"subbuzz__number\">12.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Before rising to stardom on <i>Seinfeld<\/i>, Jason Alexander first starred in the 1981 horror film <i>The Burning<\/i>. He played a camp counselor, providing tons of the movie&#8217;s comic relief before becoming terrorized by a vengeful caretaker.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-text&#10;  subbuzz-index-15&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-module=\"subbuzz-text\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Are there any other celebs that started out in horror films? Let us know in the comments!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-text&#10;  subbuzz-index-17&#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  &#10;  \" data-module=\"subbuzz-text\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p>      <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">And for more celeb content, be sure to give BuzzFeed Canada a follow on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@buzzfeedcanada\" target=\"_blank\">TikTok<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/buzzfeedcanada\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a>!\u2728<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.buzzfeed.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>12 A-List Actors Who Got Their Start In Horror Movies Every celebrity has to start somewhere, and for some of them, that somewhere was scary. Long before they were strutting down the red carpet, these 12 stars were screaming, running, and fighting for their lives in horror films. Whether they were the final girl hanging [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2119539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[91165,21912,23191],"class_list":["post-2119538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-evergreen","tag-movies","tag-netflix"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/12-A-List-Actors-Who-Got-Their-Start-In-Horror-Movies.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2119538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2119538"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2119538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2119540,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2119538\/revisions\/2119540"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2119539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2119538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2119538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2119538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}